Expressions of COX-2 and VEGF in non-small cell lung cancer and the relationships between them and tumor angiogenesis

Objective To investigate the expressions of Cycloxygenase-2(COX-2),vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) to explore the relationships between them and the tumor biological characteristics,tumor angiogenesis in NSCLC.Methods The expressions of COX-2,VEGF and the microvessel density(MVD) were detected by immunohistochemical staining.Results The positive rates of COX-2 and VEGF expression in NSCLC tissue were 55.5% and 66.7% respectively,with significantly higher than those of normal lung tissue(all P0.05).The positive rate of COX-2 expression was significantly higher in the tissue of NSCLC patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis, and higher in patients of pathological gradeⅡ-Ⅲ than in those of gradeⅠ,and higher in patients of adenocarcinoma carcinoma than in those of squamous cell carcinoma(all P0.05).The positive rate of VEGF expression was significantly higher in patients of T stage T_(3-4) than in those of stage T_(1-2), and higher in patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis,and higher in patients of pathological gradeⅡ-Ⅲ than in those of gradeⅠ,and higher in patients of clinical stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ than in those of stageⅠ-Ⅱ(all P0.05).There was statistically significant correlation between expression of COX-2 and VEGF,COX-2 and MVD,VEGF and MVD,respectively(all P0.01).Conclusion The high expressions of COX-2 and VEGF in NSCLC tissues may be related to tumor invasion and angiogenesis.